Friday, July 11, 2008

After having made the more than 15-hour trip from Iowa to New York, the remaining survivors from the “Big Ditch” levee arrived at Farm Sanctuary at 10 p.m. last night. The first trailer, driven by Susie Coston and Dan D’Eramo, was unloaded first – among its extremely precious passengers a mother sow, who gave birth in the flood zone, and her seven perfect little piglets. Prior to hitting the road, Dan and Susie put the piglets in a carrier next to their mother to keep them secure for travel and planned to stop every two hours so the little ones could nurse. But mama sow had other plans. Within the hour, she proved she could do the job better by skillfully dismantling the carrier, gathering her babies around her, and keeping them tucked in the straw near her belly for the rest of the trip.

A second even larger trailer leading the way to Watkins Glen held nearly everyone else, and the unloading of it upon arrival at the sanctuary resulted in a stunning parade of 40 plus beautiful pigs who filed off the truck in an orderly fashion, two-by-two and three-by-three, as soon as the doors swung open. Greeted immediately by new Farm Sanctuary friends and caregivers as they entered our Emergency Rescue & Rehabilitation Center, the pigs wasted no time exploring and diving into generous offerings of fresh herbs, carrots and watermelon before piling up together and settling into mounds of straw for sleep.

With all these amazing animals suddenly coming to our New York Shelter, the sanctuary still buzzes today with excitement and activity. Now begins the tasks of establishing feeding schedules and healthcare routines, closely watching over pregnant sows, keeping vigil by the sides of the injured and sick, and showing these incredible survivors of factory farm and flood the ways of being free. Stay tuned for lots more news to come, and see a slideshow of last night’s arrival below!

8 comments:

you guys ROCK! it warms my heart to see this slideshow. keep on doing what you're doing. i have some rescued "broiler" chickens that i'm caring for right now and i just visited the cali farm sanctuary for the first time recently so i'm 100% behind your efforts!!!!!

Someone remembered the piggies! You guys are just the best for doing this needed work. It is food for the soul to see that there is good work going on out there and great that we can share our appreciation for it from the otherside of the planet. Keep up the great work! The pigs will no doubt bless your lives in ways that you have yet to discover.

To all at Farm Sanctuary,NY - Thankyou for your heroic efforts in rescuing these pigs from this disaster. It is only sad that more could not have been saved. Your education and inspriration to all who visit this site or hear of your work is truly invaluable. But especially to Daniel and Jessica, we could not be more proud,watching you living your passion and making a real difference in this world. Few of us can make such a claim. Love and miss you lots

You guys at Farm Sanctuary are such wonderful people. I can only dream of saving animals but you guys actually make it a reality. It is so emotional for me to see these pigs get a second chance in life. For the first time in their lives they find happiness. I wonder if it is all strange to them, living in such a comfortable environment now.

Thank you for your efforts! Please keep posting the updates of the pigs!

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.